Uptake and Dupuration of Petroleum Hydrocarbons By the Backwater Clam,Meretrix Casta Chemnitz

Meretrix casta were experimentally exposed to water soluble fractions of refined and crude oil and their rate of accumulation of the petroleum hydrocarbons including total and individual aromatics viz., naphthalene, methylnaphthalene and dimethylnaphthalene, was studied. Subsequent transfer to clean waters in the laboratory and field resulted in depuration of the accumulated hydrocarbons from tissues. in general, the rate of discharge was found to be dependent on the concentration that the animals had been earlier exposed to and also the alkylation of aromatic hydrocarbons. Occasional increases were observed in the hydrocarbon values of clams which were placed in the field, compared to their laboratory counterparts, suggesting an intermittent source of petroleum hydrocarbon input into the environment. the influence on the rate of uptake, release and retention of hydrocarbons in the clams is discussed.